Ribbon mechanism for calculating-machines.



No. 759,848. PATENTBD MAY 17, 1904.

9. D. BAIRD.

RIBBON `IVIEGHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES. APPLIUATIDN FILED 00129, 1902.

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lib' yymgy' M 1 JM omjcys g no. 759cm.

UNITED STATES Patented May 17, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE D. BAIRD, OF ALEXANDRIA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN F. ROY AND JAMES JONES, OF ALEXANDRIA,

TENNESSEE.

RIBBON MECHANlISM FOR CALCULATlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,848, dated May 1'?, 1904.

Application filed October 23, 1902. 'Serial No. 128,472. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE D. BAIRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alexandria, in the county of Dekalb and State of Tennesseahave invented a new and useful Ribbon Mechanism for Calculating-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain improvements in calculating-machines, and more especially to machines of that class in which eachhorizontal row of numerals is separately recorded on a sheet of paper and the grand total is afterward printed at the bottom of the rows of numerals to complete the proby 1em,and while the device is applicable to iinger-key-operated mechanism of any class, including both type-writing, adding, substracting, and other calculating machines, it is especially designed for use in connection with machines where it is desirable to imprint the factors, elements, or quantities of the problem in one color and the result in another or distinctive color in order to avoid confusion, especially where a number of calculations are imprinted on the same page or sheet.

One object otl the invention is to provide a machine of this character with a plurality of ribbons of 'different colors and with means for bringing a ribbon of desired color into alinement with the imprinting-type.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in connection with a calculating-machine, a mechanism for altering the positions of the ribbons at the completion of a problem in or- `without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view, partly in section, of suicient of a calculating-machine to illustrate the application thereto of a ribbon mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a view of a portion oi' the mechanism shown in Eig. 2 with the parts in diferent position. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of one of the double ribbon-reels and a portion oi the mechanism for automatically changing the position of the ribbons.`

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The ribbon mechanism forming the subject of the present invention may be employed in connection with any form of machine in which linger-keys operate to adjust or to positively actuate type-bars or type-carrying devices, and in order to illustrate the application of the device there is shown in the drawings a frame 1, forming a part of a calculating-machine.

At the rear end ol the frame are suitable supports for the reception of a platen 2, over which passes a sheet of paper froma paperroll 4, this mechanism being operated in any suitable manner. The hori'Zontal plane oi' the' platen is in alinement with the plane of type impressions, and with said platen coacts a numtion is imparted by a handled crank 11. This. mechanism and the operation thereof is i'ully" by me on the 23d day of October, 1902, under l Serial No. 128,473.

At each side of the frame of the machine is a standard 20, in which is secured a verticallydisposed spindle 21, having at its upper end a vertically-disposed slot 22. On the spindle is mounted a revoluble sleeve 23, the lower end of which extends within a recess in the standard and is provided with an annular flange or collar against which bears the Lipper end of a compression-spring 24, normally holding' the sleeve in elevated position, while permittingfree vertical and rotative movement of said sleeve on the stationary spindle 21. Surrounding the upper end of the spindle is a substantially circular plate 25, held from rotative movement by a diametricallyedisposed pin 25 passing through the slot 22 of Vthe spindle, and on the sleeve 23 is mounted a similar plate 26, connected to the plate'25 by a pair of guard-arms 27 and a small ribbonguiding roller 28, the construction being such that the twov plates while free tomove ver`l tically with the sleeve are held from rotative movement by the pin 25 or by other suitable means. v r l v Between the upper and lower plates 25 and 26 is mounteda double ribbon-reel29, divided into upper and lower portions by the hori- Zontal disk 30. The hub of the reel is keyed to the sleeve and rotates therewith, while its twlo sections each receive a ribbon of different co or.

To the lower portion of the sleeve 23 is secured a disk 31, having on its under side a circular row of ratchet-teeth 32, with which engages a pawl 33, pivotally mounted at one end of a lever 34, the latter being pivoted on a xed stud 35, projecting'from the outer face of the standard. The pawl-carrying lever 34 is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of a plate-spring 36, tn e pawl being maintained wholly out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth in order to permit free movement of the disk in the event of the pawl at the opposite side ofthe machine beingv operated. The limits of movement of the pawlcarrying lever are vdetermined by a fixed disk 37, secured to the end of the stud 35 and having a peripheral notch terminating in abrupt shoulders for engagement with a pin 38, projecting' from the side of the lever.

In the present machine two ribbons are employed, the-ribbons being' of different color and extending lengthwise of the platen between the reels on the opposite sides of the ,v imprinting-type, and normally thelowermost ribbon is maintained in the line vof the type `impressions in order to print the elements or the .body of a problem in one color, while at the vendlof a problem both reels are depressed in order to bring the upper portions of the reels, carrying a ribbon of different color, into lalinement with-the types and effect tlie mprinting of the grand total in a distinctive color. I

The shaft 10, before referred to, is hollow and receives a rod 40, from which extends two radially-disposed arms 41, passingl through suitable slots in the wallY of the hollow shaft. The end of the rod has a reduced stem extending out beyond the end of the shaft and provided with a knob or handle 42 for convenience in effecting the longitudinal adjustment of the rod and moving one or other of the radial arms 41 into operative relation with one of the pawl-carrying levers34. The distance between the two arms 41 is less than the distance between the two levers 34, so that only one of said arms .canbe adjusted to operative position, the ribbons being' first wound on one reel, and when said reel is full the rod is shifted longitudinally to permit'the operation of the actuating-pawl of the opposite reel.

In order to notify the operator when the reels are filled and of the necessity of shifting the position of the rod 40, I employ at each side of the machine an alarm mechanism of the character best shown .in Fig. 4.

At a point adjacent to each of the standards 2O is a hollow standard 45, in which is guided a vertically-movable rack-bar 46, withl which engages a worm-tooth 47, formed on the periphery of the ratchet-disk 31, the rack receiving a gradual vertical movement as the ,ratchet-diskrrotates yand the ribbon is wound. To the upper end of. each stationary spindle 21 is secured an alarm-bell 48, havinga springclapper 49, with which engag'es a pin 50, projecting from the upper portion of the rack 46,

so that when the rack is elevated the pin will .raise the end of the clapper and after passing beyond the same permit the downward movement ofthe clapper into contact with the bell.

During the course of operation of the calculating-machine the crank 11 is given a forwardl and thence a backward movement, the arms 41 acting on the pawl-carrying levers and positively rotating one or other of the ribbon-reels.

rIhe shifting of the positionof the ribbons may be accomplished in several ways, one of the shifting mechanisms comprising a pair of lcvers 51, `rig'idly secured to a cross-bar 52 in bearings at opposite sides of the frame, the free ends of said levers bearing on top of the guard-plates 25 of the reels. The lower ends of both levers are hook-shapedand are adapted to be engaged` by arms 53, projecting ra- IOO dially from the hollow shaft 10, the shaft bc- "f" ing turned by hand in order to effect the depression of the ribbon-reels and the movement of the upper ribbon into alinement with the types .in advancerof. the printing operation. The shaft 10 is not turnedto an extent sufficient to operate the levers 51 during ordinary imprinting operations, but is only moved to an extent sufcient to cause the arms 53 to engage said levers when a total amount is to be printed.

The movement of the reels may be accomplished independently of the shaft by any direct-acting adjusting means, or for convenience this mechanism may be arranged as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the shaft 52 being' provided with an arm 54C, adapted to engage one end of a lever 55, mounted on a stud 56 at one side of the frame. This lever has an upwardlyextending portion 57, which may be engaged and depressed by hand, or it may be turned by means of a suitable cam 58, carried by a shaft 59, the latter being provided with a turningknob at a convenient point outside the casing of the machine. In some cases the depression of the ribbon-reels may be accomplished by the radial arms 53 of the shaft and the reels afterward locked in position by the movement of the lever 55; but when the latter are employed to effect the depression of the reels independent of the shaft the lower hook-shaped ends of the levers 51 may be omitted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. The combination with printing mechanism, of a pair of ribbon-reels adapted for the support of a plurality of ribbons, means for maintaining said reels in elevated position. a pair of pivotally-mounted reel-depressing levers adapted one for engagement with each reel, a rock-shaft, and cams carried by the shaft and operable during the initial part of a total-printing operation to engage with and actuate said levers.

2. 'Ihe combination with printing mechanism, including a platen, of a pair of oppositely-disposed ribbon-supports each comprising a recessed standard, a vertically-disposed slotted spindle carried by the standard, a vertically-adjustable and revoluble sleeve mounted on the spindle, a spring disposed within the recess of the standard and serving' to elevate said sleeve, a pair of connected guardplates, a pin connecting the upper of said plates to the slotted portion of the spindle, a'double reel keyed to the sleeve, and means for imparting a step-by-step rotative movement to the sleeve and reel.

3. In a ribbon mechanism, a verticallymovable and revoluble rcel-support, a double reel carried thereby, a ratchet-disk connected to the reel-support and revoluble therewith, means for holding the ratchet-disk from vertical movement, and means for imparting a step bystep rotative movement to said ratchet-disk. y

4. A ribbon supporting and feeding 1nechanism, comprising a pair of ribbon-reels, ratchet-disks operatively connected thereto, a pair of pawl-carrying levers, pawls supported by the levers and adapted to engage the respective ratchet-disks, springs normally maintaining both pawls out of engagement with the ratchet-d isks, a rock-shaft, and means carried by the rock-shaft for imparting movement to o-ne or other of the pawlcarriers.

5. A ribbon supporting and feeding mechanism, comprising a pair of ribbon-reels, ratchet-disks operatively yconnected thereto, a pair of pawl-carrying levers, pawls supported by the levers and adapted to engage the respective ratchet-disks, springs normally maintaining' both pawls out of engagement with the ratchet-disks, ahollow rockshaft having radial slots, a longitudinallymovable rod carried by said rock-shaft, and a pair of radially-disposed arms carried by said rod and movable to engage one or other of the pawl-carrying levers.

6. A ribbon supporting and feeding mechanism, comprising a slotted supporting-spindle, a pair of connected non-revoluble guardplates movable longitudinally with the spindle, a pin carried by the plates and extending through said slotted spindle, ribbon-guides carried by said plates, a ribbon reel disposed between the guard-plates, and means for imparting a step-by-step rotative movement to said ribbon-reels.

7. The combination With a ribbon-reel, of a ratchet-disk connected and adapted to revolve the reel, a Worm-tooth disposed on the periphery of said ratchet-disk, a rack with which said worin-tooth engages, a guide for the rack, an alarm-bell, andaclapper adapted to be engaged and actuated by the rack, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE D. BAIRD.

Witnesses:

ANNE BLACKBURN, J. C. Doss. 

